


The Defiler's Son

by kate7h



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Gen, Possession, introspective, kind of, post- Historia's coronation, what if the first king was conscious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-03-20
Packaged: 2018-05-13 17:56:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5711698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kate7h/pseuds/kate7h
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slight AU where the First King is semi-conscious inside of Eren. And is not pleased with recent turn of events. Post- Historia's coronation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had some thoughts about this the other day and it freaked me out a bit, so naturally I wrote it out on the bus to work... Enjoy some needless whumpage of poor baby Eren...

Eren tossed in his bed, the bracings of his bunk squeaking. Usually it wasn't loud enough to disturb him, but this night, it was nearly unbearable. It felt like his head was buzzing with the noise. That and… something else. Probably the memories that came with this… power. The memories of the Reiss line, as well as his own father's. Eren didn't want them, but there was nothing to be done. He sighed and knew that lying around wasn't going to get him anywhere.

As quietly as he could, he crept past Armin, Jean, and Connie, whom he shared the barracks with. They didn't need to be bothered with this.

He dragged himself to the bathroom and lit a candle. The mirror was darkened from the night, but he could see his own reflection in the light of the small flame. He clamped his hands on the counter, his knuckles almost white with how hard his grip was.

"This is me, this is me," Eren muttered, assuring himself that it was true. He'd been doing that quite often, actually. Secretly enduring the plague of foreign memories.

But tonight, it was somehow different. Stronger. He couldn't tell why. Like one of the ghosts in his head was trying to fight for consciousness. Eren shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. _Maybe I should tell the Captain. Or Hange._

' _...It back…. Give….back….'_

Eren opened his eyes again, staring wide eyed at the countertop. Words. Conscious thought. Words and thoughts that weren't his own.

"What the hell?" he barely managed to say before that voice spoke again inside his mind.

' _T_ _he gift…. The coordinate is…. Reiss family's…., son of filth and befoulment.'_

Eren grasped his head, sharp pain feeling like it was about to split his skull. "Are you… the first king?" He managed to get out through gritted teeth. Fear rushed through him, chilling his blood. How could this happen?

' _Vile… Corrupted….tainted…. Thieves in the night… Give it back to the heirs of holiness!'_

He gasped, the pain sending edges of red around his vision. He pressed his hand to his temple, but it did nothing for the burning in his brain.

"She- Historia chose to rule without you!" Eren ground out.

A wave of rage which wasn't his own overwhelmed him, and this time he cried out from the pain. He squeezed his eyes shut again, his hands shaking as he pressed on his head.

"P-piss off!" Eren shouted, feeling a stream of hot blood fall down from his nose. "Go to hell!"

He dropped to his knees, panting as the pain subsided. _Wow,_ Eren thought as he tried to catch his breath. _Didn't think that'd work._

But it didn't stop the first king's words, just the crushing pain in Eren's head. He could feel it coming back, but this time he was going to fight it. He didn't need to hear this from his own brain.

_'You've corrupted the peace… Descended humanity to hell with your disgraceful greed!'_

His eyes widened at that. That didn't make any sense. There wasn't any peace, there was destruction and nigh extinction. And that was before Eren had gotten the power. Before his father had… The only one's who felt like they were in peacetimes were the one's who hid inside the interior, ignoring the struggles of the people in the outer walls. Scorning the Scouts for trying to repair the damaged system. Yearning for independence outside of the walls.

"You-" Eren scoffed, pulling himself back up, glaring at his own reflection in the mirror. "You never created peace! You built up walls to keep humanity caged and afraid. That's not peace! You can't have peace without freedom!"

Inside him, he could feel the wrongness the first king felt with that. What was so wrong with freedom? Easy, it took away power from the powerful.

' _Freedom… Anarchy and chaos, I saved the human race from destroying themselves!'_

"And the whole bullshit about having the titans rule over us? Was that saving us too!?" Eren shouted back, blood and spit splattering the glass.

The presence settled, seemingly deciding not to argue anymore. It was cold now, that chilling fury, but Eren refused to be afraid.

_'Return it… Or die with it… Defiler's son…'_

Eren wiped his arm across his nose, smearing the blood on his sleeve and face. "I ain't dying here, you rotten bastard. You're the one who's dead, so just die already!"

Suddenly, his own hands were around his throat, squeezing off his air supply. He couldn't release the grip, it was as if the first king was putting all his will into having Eren kill himself. Taking this gift from the world completely if it couldn't be in the 'right' hands.

"H- elp…" he tried to call out, but his voice was barely more than a whisper.

He pulled himself back, and lying on the ground, he kicked at the door (at least he was still in control of his legs). Black was closing in, his vision starting to go dark. There was a ringing in his head. He kicked once more, but his muscles felt weak. Somehow, the hands around his neck were still strong.

"No-" he gasped, fear that this was actually the end filling him. He tried to kick the door again, but he couldn't feel his legs anymore.

"Eren!" he heard someone shout, and then hands that weren't his own were on him, pulling at his arms.

"What the hell are you doing, dumbass!?" Jean's voice was close to his head, followed by a yank that popped his shoulder. Eren couldn't see, his vision dark. But he could still hear.

"Pull harder, dammit!"

"He won't let go! Eren! What're you doing?!" Connie.

"Wait, here, let me try this," Armin, followed by fingers jabbing hard into pressure points, along with the yanking and pulling Jean and Connie were doing.

At last, his hands released. Eren gasped, frantically pulling his arms away from anyone and everyone's touch. Or at least tried. He more or less collapsed to the ground, heaving for breaths against the wall.

"Eren, w- why?" Armin asked, sitting in front of him.

Eren coughed, trying and failing to clear the scratchiness from his throat. "I- I wasn't doing that…"

Armin blinked, looking down as if processing what he'd said and what it meant.

"Come again? I'm pretty sure we weren't imagining you strangling yourself," Jean snapped back, his eyes wide, reflecting some of the fear Eren felt.

"Yeah, man, that was really scary," Connie added, his shoulders visibly shaking.

Armin shook his head. "With that power you have, and all those memories… are you saying that one of those people had enough consciousness to make you do that?"

Eren shuddered, pressing a hand to his forehead. "Yeah- yeah, it was the first king, I'm pretty sure…"

They all froze. Yeah, it was just as bad as they thought. If the first king could physically control him in such a way, who's to say what else he could control in time?

"I think we should tell Captain Levi. And probably the Commander and Squad Leader Hange as well," Armin said, an urgency in his voice as he helped Eren to his feet. "The sooner the better."

Eren glanced at the mirror. Bruises were already forming on his neck, blood still dabbled underneath his nose, and the lined indents had appeared under his eyes, just like they did whenever he used his titan powers. He flinched, looking away. Had the first king accessed his powers? To force him to do such a thing, he might have.

_As if things couldn't get any worse_ , Eren thought with numbing dread.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and the squad take action for more information, and Eren meets someone unexpected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because of many such kind and encouraging comments, I've been inspired to write an extension of this plot.

It was odd to be in such a situation, surrounded by attention at all sides as Eren sat uncomfortably across from Hange in a rickety, wooden chair. Really, it was just their squad, but it felt like more. He should be used to this kind of attention by now, with all the titan experiments he'd been going through for months, but this was different. There wasn't really anything he could actually  _ do _ . He was just sitting, waiting for instructions that even Hange was unsure of.

"So if you heard the first king in your mind, is he not a constant presence? Or can you feel him now?" Hange asked, her eyes bright, but not in her usual excited, maniacal way. It was more serious, which did not make Eren feel much better.

He shrugged. "Not really. I don't feel any different than normal at the moment."

Eren looked down at his hand, remembering all too clearly how this  _ thing _ inside his mind had nearly choked him with his own hands. He resisted the urge to puke. "It felt like a burst of strength from him, like it took a lot of effort to get the firsts words out, then after he choked me, his presence disappeared…"

"Likely it takes time for that shitstain to build up enough power to control you like that," Levi said from where he was leaning against the wall.

Hange nodded. "That seems like a logical assumption, which is a good thing. The encounter was only a few minutes, you said?"

"Yes," Eren replied quickly.

"He probably has a lot more trouble controlling you, since you aren't of the Reiss bloodline," Historia said, sitting with her eyes fixed on him. It was unnerving because he had no idea what she was thinking. This could've been happening to her,  _ would've  _ been, and the king would've been successful, easily reigning over his own blood. 

Hange nodded again, glancing around the room. "So far, he hasn't shown that he has the capability to control Eren for longer than a few minutes, and not even wholly. He's just using words, mostly."

"We shouldn't count on that being his full capacity," Armin said solemnly. "This is only one instance. We can't determine a pattern with so little information."

The room went quiet for a moment before Hange spoke again. "Then we just need more information.

Eren nodded, although he had no idea what she had in mind for that.

"So we just wait around until that bastard has enough strength to finish the job?" Jean interjected, standing beside Mikasa with his arms folded over his chest.

Hange shook her head. "Maybe we can go to him…"

Eren frowned, his skin crawling at Hange's words.  _ What was  _ that  _ supposed to mean? _

"What're you wanting to do, shithead?" Levi said, his voice tenser than usual. In fact, everyone had an air of tension, the room thick with it.

"Eren, have you ever heard of hypnosis?"

He blinked. "A- a little. It's a circus trick, right?" What did something like that have to do with their current situation?

"Yeah, but it can used for so much more. I haven't tried it myself, but I'm told it can be very effective when used for things like the human subconscious. It's not exactly the same in this situation, but it might tell us something," Hange said, her words rushing out quickly.

Eren's back hit the chair as he leaned back away from her, from this whole thing. He cringed because it did not sound like something he'd be interested in trying. But, it didn't really seem like there were that many options. They didn't know what else to do.

"So you'll use that to let Eren enter his own subconscious?" Armin asked, trying to clarify, which Eren wasn't sure if he was grateful for or not.

"Basically, yeah. Maybe he can dig around and figure out what's going on with the first king and with all that," Hange folded her arms with a nod.

Levi tapped his foot against the wall. "So all you've got is a 'maybe.'"

Hange sighed. "There's not much else I  _ can _ have, Levi. This problem is a bit unprecedented."

Levi shook his head. "Yeah, I know. It still sucks. We don't even know how much risk Eren is in, let alone how to even begin how to fix it. And this on top of all the other shit we have to deal with."

Eren twisted his fingers together. He didn't want this to endanger or interfere with their future operations. He just wanted this done with as soon as possible,  _ if _ it was possible. 

"I'll do it," Eren said, looking up at Hange again. "If this is something I can do to solve this problem, then please help me do it."

Hange nodded, looking up at Levi again. Levi said nothing, so she clapped her hands. 

"Eren, I appreciate your bravery, as usual," she said, her voice a strange combination of excitement and wariness. 

Eren scratched at his hand, not feeling very brave at that moment. "So how do we do this?"

It didn't take long for Hange to describe the process to him. It was basically just a technique meant to relax him to a state between sleep and wakefulness. Another thing was that it wouldn't work unless he wanted it to, so that was… comforting. He didn't really want to do this, per say, but he did want to figure this all out. He needed to do something. So in a roundabout way, he did, and he hoped that was enough. 

Hange had sent most everyone out, since it was supposed to be entered through relaxation. Levi had stayed, standing next to the table. Armin sat at the that table, ready to act as scribe to the experiment. Mikasa had stayed as well, she standing dutifully at the side of the room a couple paces from him. Even if she didn't actually serve a purpose to this, he didn't mind. Her presence was more of a comfort now than the nuisance it had been when they were younger. He looked down, then back to Hange who was still sitting across from him.

"You ready?" She asked. 

Eren swallowed. "Yeah."

It didn't take long for the hypnosis to take effect, Eren supposed. The only thing he was really aware of was Hange's voice, telling him to open a door. There wasn't a door, but he did have the feeling of floating into a different place. He was groggy, barely able to open his eyes, but he found himself in a… room…that didn't make sense. It looked like a bedroom, but he'd never been there before. 

_ It must be someone else's memory _ , he thought, turning to leave. 

"What're  _ you _ doing here?" A voice who was not Hange said, the tone hard. 

Eren blinked, turning around to see a woman standing in the center of the room. She had long, dark hair and a white dressing gown on. Her hands were balled into fists and her face was angry. The moment he saw her, he knew exactly who it was. 

"Frieda…"

" _ You mean Frieda Reiss _ ?" Hange's voice drifted over him, and Frieda frowned deeper. She stalked forward, right at him. Eren stepped backwards, but in a split second she was right up in his face. 

"I said, what are you doing? Why've you come here?"

"I-" Eren got out, looking back at the door, now closed, behind him. "I need to fix it."

"Fix what? That fact that your father murdered my whole family to give you our power?" Frieda ground out, the very atmosphere of the room pungent with her wrath. 

"I don't know why he gave it to me," Eren said, trying to open his eyes completely, the drowsiness making it hard to concentrate. "I just know he wanted this power to be used to eradicate the titans."

Frieda paused, but her presence still felt heavy, enraged. "It's a mistake to have desires like that."

Eren whirled towards her. "What? Why?"

Frieda looked down, glaring at the ground, but she didn't answer. Eren frowned, feeling anger of his own rising.

"What the hell are we supposed to do if not get rid of the titans? Just live under them complacently while they devour us into extinction?!"

Eren could hear Hange's voice in his head, but he ignored her. He couldn't wake up now that he was actually talking to someone.  _ Maybe make some progress in this _ . And Frieda wasn't attached to the will of the first king anymore, was she? She could think for herself what was right or wrong and what this power should be used for. Certainly more than forcing the population into subjection, under the monarchy, and under the titans above them.

Frieda turned away. "Go away," she spat.

Eren's shoulders dropped.  _ Well, that's the opposite of progress. _ "Don't you even care what happens to your sister?"

Again, fiery eyes turned to his. "You mean the only family I have left since your wretched father murdered them all? Of course I care about my sister."

"Historia could've taken this power from me, easily. I wanted her to. Did you see that?" Eren asked.

Frieda looked him up and down, a frown on her face. "I did."

Eren nodded. "Then you know what she chose. She became queen without this power to break the chains from the first king. I'm just trying to do my part in that. So please, for her, are you gonna help me or not?"

Frieda's whole frame was taut, her fingers digging into her arms. "How am I supposed to help you?"

Eren blinked. Honestly, he had no idea. He had no idea what to do about any of this. It was completely foreign. "I don't know, but it couldn't hurt to have an ally in here?"

She blinked slowly, her face settling into resolution. "No, you need a teacher."

"Oh," Eren muttered in surprise. "Teaching me what?"

"You know nothing of our history. Or who the First King was. Why he did what he did. I'll teach you, and perhaps you be able to continue to hold him off. The bastard is persistent, so fair warning."

She turned a hard look at him. "This is for Historia, and don't you forget it!"

Eren stared at her. He hadn't thought she'd actually help him. But it really didn't matter what her motivation was, she was helping. 

"Thank you, Frieda," Eren said after a moment. "Uh, so you want me to tell Historia anything for you"

Frieda's face softened, touching her fingers to the top of the dresser. "Tell her I'm sorry. Tell her I'm so happy she's alive."

She looked back to him. "You're going to be pulled out soon. Come back within the week and we'll begin."

She was right, Eren could feel the pull back towards the door and towards consciousness.  _ Damn it.  _ "I'll tell her. And I'll return. Thank you."

She spoke, but he couldn't hear the words clearly. The sounds and world around them began to grow distorted. Eren tried to keep his eyes open, but it was proving far more difficult than it had been when he was talking to Frieda. He felt like he was floating, and simultaneously sinking. Down down, into darkness. 

With gasp, his eyes flew open, trying to pull away from whatever force was grasping him. 

"Eren!" 

He looked up and sighed in relief. It was just Mikasa. Somehow he'd fallen from the chair, now lying in the ground with his head in her lap, her arms wrapped about him, as if she thought he was going to continue struggling.

Hange was kneeling in front of him, Levi close behind, standing with his arms folded. 

"What happened? What did she say?" Hange asked, her eyes shining. 

"She...? Frieda?" Eren asked, feeling that disorientation you get when you sleep for a day. 

"You talked to her, right?"

"Yeah…" Eren blinked, trying to orient himself once more. "She told me she'd help…"

"How?" Levi asked in a flat voice.

Eren looked up. "She's going to teach me the history of the walls."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure where it's going cause then I would have to make up a history for the walls and all that... But I really hope you liked it and thank you for supporting me so much! <3

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah.... I really don't want (and don't think) the canon plot would take this direction, but damn, it was interesting to think about... Yeah.... thoughts? Comments?


End file.
